chapter 30

The silver pendant lay motionless on the ancient altar.

No one dared to touch it.

Elsie's eyes remained fixed on the crescent moon engraved into its surface. Something about it felt... familiar.

Almost as if it had always belonged to her.

The wind swept across the Moon Shrine, lifting her hair as she slowly bent down.

"Don't."

Rowan's voice stopped her.

She looked back at him.

"It could be a trap."

Elsie swallowed before nodding.

Frank cautiously stepped forward, examining the pendant without touching it.

"I don't smell poison."

One of the Nightcrest warriors spoke.

"No hidden weapons either."

Rowan remained unconvinced.

"I'll take it."

Using the tip of his sword, he carefully lifted the silver chain before wrapping it inside a clean cloth.

Only then did he hand it to Elsie.

"If we're going to learn the truth, we'll do it carefully."

Elsie accepted it silently.

Even through the cloth...

She could feel warmth radiating from the pendant.

The ride back to the palace was quiet.

No one knew what to say.

Victor's words echoed in everyone's mind.

"The people who raised you aren't your real parents."

Elsie wanted to reject it immediately.

Her parents had loved her.

Perhaps imperfectly.

Perhaps they had failed her.

But they had raised her.

Her mother had stayed beside her bed for a week after the mate-bond rejection.

Her father had carried her on his shoulders when she was little.

Those memories couldn't be fake.

Could they?

Nightcrest Palace...

The eastern sky had begun to brighten by the time they returned.

Rowan dismissed everyone except Frank.

"No one speaks of what happened tonight."

"Especially not the Moonborn."

Frank nodded.

"It'll remain between us."

Rowan turned to Elsie.

"You should rest."

She shook her head.

"I don't think I can."

"I know."

He hesitated before adding,

"Come with me."

Instead of leading her toward her chambers, Rowan took her into the palace library.

Unlike during the day, the room felt peaceful beneath the soft glow of candlelight.

He walked toward a locked bookshelf hidden behind a large tapestry.

Taking a small key from around his neck, he unlocked it.

Inside were only a handful of ancient books.

Their pages had yellowed with age.

"No one enters this section except the Alpha."

Elsie looked at him curiously.

"Why?"

"Because these books contain knowledge that has caused wars."

He carefully removed one of the oldest volumes.

Its leather cover was cracked with age.

Across the front were the same crescent moon symbols carved into the pendant.

Elsie's breath caught.

"The same symbol..."

Rowan nodded.

"I've never shown this to anyone."

He placed the book gently on a nearby table.

Dust rose into the air as he opened it.

Most of the pages were written in an ancient language.

Until one illustration caught Elsie's attention.

It showed a woman standing beneath a full moon.

Beside her was a magnificent white wolf.

Around her neck...

Hung the exact same pendant.

Elsie's fingers trembled.

"That's..."

"The pendant."

Rowan nodded.

"The Moonborn Queens all wore it."

Queens.

The word made Elsie's stomach twist.

"I don't understand."

"You will."

He turned another page.

Beneath the illustration was an old family tree.

Almost every name had been crossed out in faded red ink.

Only one branch remained unfinished.

As though whoever had drawn it...

Had never learned what happened to the final child.

Rowan stared at the page.

"I always believed this line ended."

He slowly looked at Elsie.

"I was wrong."

A sudden knock interrupted them.

"My Alpha."

Frank entered without waiting.

His usually calm face looked troubled.

"What happened?"

Frank bowed.

"A messenger from Bloom Pack has arrived."

"So early?"

"He says it's urgent."

Rowan frowned.

"Bring him in."

Moments later, a young Bloom Pack warrior hurried into the library.

His clothes were dusty from hard travel.

He dropped to one knee.

"My Alpha."

"My Luna."

"What is it?" Rowan asked.

The messenger looked toward Elsie before lowering his head.

"Former Alpha Richard has been attacked."

Elsie gasped.

"My uncle?"

The messenger nodded.

"He survived."

"But..."

He hesitated.

"Beta Thomas and Luna Amelia asked me to bring Luna Elsie home immediately."

Elsie's heart skipped.

"My parents?"

"They said your mother is seriously injured."

The room went completely silent.

Elsie's face drained of color.

"Injured?"

The messenger nodded again.

"She was protecting your father during the attack."

"They don't know if she'll survive."

The pendant slipped from Elsie's trembling fingers onto the library floor.

Without thinking, Rowan caught her before her knees gave way.

She clutched the front of his shirt.

"I have to go."

Her voice broke.

"I have to see my mother."

Rowan held her tightly, his jaw clenched.

Something didn't feel right.

The timing was too perfect.

Victor had appeared only hours ago.

Now Bloom Pack was suddenly under attack.

He looked at Frank.

Frank gave a barely noticeable nod.

He was thinking the exact same thing.

This was no coincidence.

Somewhere in the shadows...

Someone had just made their first move.

And Elsie was walking straight into it.